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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. rush — hurry
  3. cold — not warm
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. vault — a safe
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. stand — to bear
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. fall — the season
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rest — a break
  13. season — of the year
  14. prune — to trim
  15. cold — an illness
  16. rest — what's left
  17. prune — to trim
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. fall — to drop
  21. season — in sport
  22. rest — what's left
  23. fall — to drop
  24. rush — a thrill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com